Pushing the Limits
by Recca
Summary: A new transfer student arrives at Kagome's school. But soon, murders start happening near the school.... is there more to this boy than meets the eye? Ch. 5 Uploaded, I'm not good at summaries, so read it and find out what happens! ^_^
1. Prologue: The Transfer Student

Notes: I got the Name "Naota" from Gainax's masterful series, "Furi Kuri

Notes: I got the Name "Naota" from Gainax's masterful series, "Furi Kuri."

Naota (the character from this particular story, not Furi Kuri) is my character, please don't use him without my permission. 

Pushing the Limits

An Inu-Yasha fanfiction by Matt Gburek (AKA Recca)

PROLOUGE: The Transfer Student

"On your mark, get set, GO!"

And with that, the tryouts for the track team began. A small, dark-haired boy with brilliant eyes took off like the wind. His name was Naota, and he was a transfer student. Nobody seemed to like him much; he was cynical, antisocial, and had a generally poor attitude. But Naota didn't mind. He didn't really care for anyone else, either.

_Huff… _

He drew in breath systematically, pushed himself for all he was worth. He was never sure what he would be good at; he didn't hold himself or the world in good self-esteem, but he knew he could run, and this was confirmed by the fact that all the other runners were far behind him.

_Huff… huff…_

Naota didn't know or care why, but he had never tried this hard at anything. He wanted this. It didn't matter why, but he had to have it. But deep down, Naota really knew why he had to have this, why he had to bend over backwards for it: it was all he had. 

_Huff… huff… huff…_

He was breathing faster now. But he looked up, and saw that the finish line was in sight. Just a few more steps! Just a little bit more…

The next thing he knew, the ground was closing in on him fast. He was falling, fast. He hit the dirt of the track with a thud; his face fell flat into the dirt. He scrambled to his feet, ran a few paces, and fell again. When he looked up, the race was over. When the brunt of that fact struck him, he began to cry.

He had lost.

He stood up, dusted himself off, and wiped the tears from his eyes. He looked at his shoes, and discovered that the laces were untied. 

"But…" he said to himself. "I…I tied them! I know I did!" He seethed with rage. "That means…" He searched frantically for the culprit. It was plainly obvious someone did this when he wasn't looking, but who? Who had the motivation?

He knew who it was. It was Dean. Dean, like Naota, was a transfer student, although Dean came from much farther away, America to be exact. Naota HATED Dean. People say that hate is a strong word, but Naota meant it, maybe even five times stronger than what it normally was.

Dean was a pretty boy, no doubt about it. He had shoulder length blonde hair, green eyes, and strong build. All the girls liked him; all the guys looked up to him. Naota was jealous of him. He never would admit it, but he was. The difference was that the other students saw him, and Dean's face seemed to say to them, "Try hard! You can do it! Follow your dreams, just like me!" This gave the students a bright hope. 

But Naota didn't see that in Dean. Whenever he saw Dean, instead Dean seemed to be saying: "I am everything you wish you were. You will never achieve the success I have. You are nothing, compared to me." 

The coach brought his whistle to his lips and blew.

"Alright!" he said. "Tryouts are over! The names of those who made the cut will be posted tomorrow. Good luck to all of you!"

****

Naota waited until everyone was gone before he gathered his belongings and headed home. 

"See you later Naota."

"_Later_…" thought Naota. "Notice how he didn't say, "See you _tomorrow…"_

Naota stopped dead in his tracks, and turned around to face the coach.

"Did I make the team?" he asked.

"Results will be posted tomorrow, Naota. Tomorrow, You'll-"

"_Did…I make…the team?!"_

Naota demanded, this time saying his words both slowly and angrily. The coach sighed, looked at his clipboard, and shook his head. "No. Probably not."

Naota choked. He ran out of the school track, and stopped to sit on a nearby bench. 

But he wasn't crying. He was laughing. There was one fact that kept him composed: The fact that soon, Dean would get his. Very soon, he would be more sorry for anything he had ever done. And Naota would hear his profuse apologies.

Just before Naota killed him, of course.

****

Dean walked home alone, on the sidewalk. It was getting dark, and there were few people in this part of the city at nighttime. He would be home soon though, so it was no big deal. 

"Maybe that was a rotten joke to pull…," he thought to himself. "Tomorrow I'll go apologize to that kid…"

__

Clang…

As he passed an alley, he heard a strange sound.

"It's probably just a cat, or something." He told himself, and began walking. But the sound was heard again. And again. 

"I'll just go see what it is." He said to himself. He walked into the dark alley. The noise got louder, and louder. Soon, it was obvious that it was emanating from a trashcan.

His pulse quickened, and color flushed from his face. He slowly lifted open the lid, and…

MEOW!

A cat jumped out of the trashcan, and ran out of the alley. 

"It _was_ a cat…" said Dean to himself. He turned around to head home, but a boy was blocking the entrance to the alleyway…

It was Naota, from school. The kid's whose chances of getting on the track team he had personally ruined. 

"Oh, it's just you!" Dean said, relieved. "I thought it was a gangster, or something…"

Naota remained silent. In was night now, and he stood there in the moonlight, still wearing his white tank top and gym shorts from the tryouts earlier to day. His head hung low, his shoulder-length black hair acted like a veil for his face.

"Anyway…" Dean began. "I'm sorry about uniting your shoelaces today. It was just a joke. Nothing personal."

Naota did not move. "I…see…" he said simply. 

"Uh…" Dean stammered. "Yeah… anyway, I have to go home now… I'll see you tomorrow." Dean began walking out of the alley, but Naota stood there still, blocking his path. 

"I can't go home if you're in the way…" 

Naota still refused to move.

"Could you please move?" Dean asked yet again. Naota did not budge.

Dean was angry at this point. "I said MOVE, dammit!" and with that, he put his hand on Naota's shoulder and attempted to shove him out of the way. 

But when he put his hand on his shoulder, Naota's eyes flashed red. Dean was sent flying through trashcans, dumpsters and other things before he hit the back wall of the alley.

Dean lay propped against the back wall. He coughed up a little blood, and stared at Naota at the end of the alley. "Wha…" Dean began. "What did you…"

Naota raised his head, revealing his face. His eyes were narrowed; his teeth and fists were clenched.

"So…" he growled. "A joke, huh? Was it funny?! WAS IT?!" 

Dean spat out more blood. "N-no…" he said. "It was…"

Naota's eyes flashed red yet again. Dead was brought from the wall about 10 feet, then slammed right back into it at full speed.   
  
"Liar!" Screamed Naota with a burning rage. "You had a DAMN good time with it, didn't you?! You thought it was funny that I lost! It's the only goddamn thing I'm good at! You're so much better at everything else, but that wasn't enough for you, was it?! You had to beat me in every possible way…didn't you?!"

Fear was evident in Dean's eyes. His lips trembled with fear; he looked as if he was about to cry. 

  
"I'm sorry! He said. "I'M SORRY!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"You're sorry…" Said Naota. "…very well. As long as your sorry."

Naota began walking out of the alley. Dean was panting; blood was dripping from his head to his chin, and formed a small pool in front of the ground where he lay. He closed his eyes and sighed. 

But Naota stopped in his tracks. 

"Unfortunately…" said Naota, as he whirled around.

Naota's eyes began to glow bright red; the light emanating from them almost lit up the whole alley. He was about to do something big.

"It's too little…" Naota continued.

"N-no…" said Dean, as he scrambled into a corner, terrified. "Stay away! Stay away from me…"

"…TOO LATE!" Screamed Naota. At this point, his whole body seemed to emanate red light. A Dumpster, almost as wide as the alley itself, was flung in Dean's direction. He screamed, but it was cut off when the object ran into him at full speed. A large amount of blood was all over the wall, clearly visible behind the Dumpster. Underneath it, a large pool of blood was forming. 

Naota exited the alleyway and walked home on the lonely streets. His black hair acted as a veil for his face yet again. He snickered to himself as he walked home. He wore a pendant around his neck; the stone eerily shimmered in the moonlight.

It was Shard of the Shikon no Tama.

Authors Notes: You're all probably wondering where Inu-Yasha and the gang are. This prologue was just setting up the story. But they'll be in the next chapter, you mark my words! Please drop a review, and tell me what you guys think.

-Recca


	2. Chapter 1: An Unexpected Turn of Events

Note: This chapter starts out kinda weird, and the characters are OOC, but that's because- Whoops

Note: This chapter starts out kinda weird, and the characters are OOC, but that's because- Whoops! Can't tell you yet!

CHAPTER 1: AN UNEXPECTED TURN OF EVENTS

"The hypotenuse, equal to the square root of 7,800.123, or "J," is twice the size of the legs, which have a 28.287 degree angle. Giving this information, it is relatively simple to determine the fact that X to the second power would equal half the leg in addition to the hypotenuse. Therefore, the Cosine of J would have to be half the hypotenuse's length, and therefore…Miss Higurashi, are you getting any of this?"

Kagome stared out the window for the entire math class. She was supposed to go back to the Feudal Period after school, and Inu-Yasha would be angry if she was late.

"Miss Higurashi?" asked the teacher yet again. 

"Ah!" exclaimed Kagome, realizing where she was. "Um… yeah! I totally understood that!"

"Well, Miss Higurashi," said the teacher with a sarcastic smirk. "Would you care to tell the class what "J" is equal to?"

Kagome flinched. "Um…" she said

__

A number…

She told herself. 

__

Think of a number… ANY number…

"Um… seven?" Was her timid reply.

"That couldn't be more wrong, Miss Higurashi." The teacher shook his head in dismay. "Would anyone else care to explain this to her?" 

A boy sitting next to Kagome raised his hand. "Feh. I'll _try…_"

"Very good, Mister…"

"Inu-Yasha." The boy answered for him.

Kagome's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"I-INU YASHA?! What are YOU doing here?!" Kagome yelled. Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes. 

"Never you mind that." He scoffed. "Look here, Kagome. It's really very easy." He said, picking up a pencil and pointing to the textbook with it. He was in typical Japanese Schoolboy attire, something Kagome found to be quite strange.

"Look." He said, flatly. "If 'J' is equal to the square root of 7,800.123, and the tangent, relative to figure A, is 12.5 over 9, then J has to be twice the hypotenuse divided by twelve when added to 48.2. Get it?"

Kagome made a facial expression as if she had been told that black was white, up was down. 

"H-" she stuttered. "How the hell do YOU know all this?!" 

Inu-Yasha sighed. "Any dolt should know this."

  
"What?!" said Kagome, harshly. "Then what does that make me?!"

Inu-Yasha narrowed his eyes. "Don't ask ME. Maybe someone whose good at dealing with amateurs could be of more help then I…"

"I could give it a shot!" came a cheerful voice from across the room. He had long, flowing white hair, tiger stripes on his face, and a crescent on his forehead. "It's really pretty easy!" he said with enthusiasm.

"SESHHOMARU?!" Kagome yelled in disbelief. "Stay away from me, you monster!"

"M-monster?" Sesshomaru was obviously hurt. "I just wanted to help…"

"Calm down, Kagome!" said Inu-Yasha in disgust. "Besides, Sesshomaru is REALLY good at math!" 

Sesshomaru beamed. "Well, now. While my brother did mention most of it, he left out the part about the legs of the right triangle here…"

"…that's because I thought it was obvious." Scoffed Inu-Yasha.

"Anyway…" Sesshomaru continued. "The two legs are Equal to half of "J", meaning that in this case, angle B is equal to 32.88. If that's the case, then J, relative to figure A, has twice the square root of M in figure C."

"Don't forget to mention the ratio of the Tangent via the hypotenuse!" Piped a man from the back of the class. He had black hair, a thin ponytail, and many earrings. He wore some beads around his wrist and hand. "The Cosine IS equal to half the angle, after all…"

"M-Miroku?" 

"Then you just add up the variables and the Sin!" Chirped a short boy with ruddish red hair pulled back in a bun, and very pointy ears. "It's simple, right?"

"SHIPPOU?!"

"Now, just add up the variables, divide by 12, multiply by half the cosine, and you're done!" Said Sesshomaru, cheerfully. "The answer is 2812798461294610287640.9821639862149!!! It's that simple!"

"WHY DO YOU ALL KNOW THIS?!" Kagome screamed. "NONE OF YOU HAVE EVER SET FOOT IN A SCHOOL, LET ALONE MATH CLASS!"

"We're just trying to help, Kagome." Inu-Yasha gave Kagome a hard look. "Don't take it out on us."

"Yeah! It's easy, right Kagome?" Shippou asked.

  
"NO! IT ISN'T! WHY?! WHY DOES EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND THIS BUT ME?!"

"Very good. Now…" Continued the teacher. "Since you all seem to know this fairly well, there will be no homework for any of you…"

Kagome sighed. "Well, THAT'S a relief…"

"…with the exception of Miss Higurashi, who must finish every problem in this book by tomorrow."

  
The teacher plopped down a huge book entitled, "Every Math Problem Ever Written" on Kagome's desk. "Good luck!" Said the teacher.

"This isn't fair!" Screamed Kagome. She stood up in her desk abruptly, and slammed both palms on it, making a loud sound. She was sweating bullets.

"Take it easy!" said Miroku. "We'll help you, of course!"

"Yeah!" Chirped Shippou. "We'll get it done in no time!"  
  
_This can't be happening…_

Thought's raced through her mind like a hurricane. "NO!" She Screamed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…"

****

"AHH!"

Kagome woke up in a room in a Japanese Inn in the feudal era. Miroku had managed to convince the innkeeper that there were dark spirits lurking about that needed to be exorcised. All he asked for in return was room and board, a deal that, given the fact that there were no spirits to begin with, was pretty good.

"Kagome!" Screamed Inu-Yasha. "What's the matter?!"  
"What is the trouble, Kagome?" asked a curious Miroku.

"Huh?" Kagome asked, puzzled. "What are you talking about?!"

"What are we- YOU WERE SCREAMING!" replied Inu-Yasha.

The screen doors flung open, and the innkeeper hurried in. "Is there a problem?" he asked, frantically. 

"It was nothing." Kagome replied. "I just had a nightma-" But Miroku covered her mouth with his hand before she could finish.

  
"Ah, yes." Said Miroku, full of determination. "This woman was possessed by one of the many evil spirits lurking about. Fortunately, I am about to exorcise it right now." Miroku bowed his head, closed his eyes, and slapped his hands together. He began chanting words that he was clearly making up on the spot. Evident to all but the innkeeper, anyway. The innkeeper couldn't see Miroku's face from where he was standing, but Kagome could tell that he was trying to keep himself from laughing. 

"Ha!" screamed Miroku, clapping his hands one final time. "There. The vengeful mononoke have left her body."

The Innkeeper beamed with joy. "Oh thank you, kind monk!" he lavished. "We are most fortunate to have you here. Thank you, thank you!" The man bowed profusely and exited the room. 

"People will believe anything, if you know how to sell it." Miroku said, clearly pleased with himself. "Anyway, you were saying you had a nightmare?"

"Yeah." 

"Well…" said Miroku, a look of sympathy on his face. "If you're still scared, you can sleep with me." He smiled, taking Kagome's hand. Kagome, however, instantly jerked her arm out of Miroku's lustful grasp.

"That… won't be necessary." Said Kagome, polite yet firm.   
  
"Yeah!" Inu-Yasha agreed, clearly angry. He then proceeded to whonk Miroku on the head.

"Ow! Hey!" said Miroku, in pain. "I was just joking!"

"Inu-Yasha sama, that wasn't really necessary, was it?" Chirped Myoga, from Inu-Yasha's shoulder. To answer his question, Inu-Yasha slammed his hand on Myoga, as if to pop the little insect like a zit. Myoga fell to the floor, then got back up, and dusted himself off.   
  
"Now THAT was unnecessary!" He said, vexed. Inu-Yasha raised his hand again to threaten the insect. 

"Silence, flea!" He ordered. Myoga cringed, then remained silent. 

Miroku gave a sly smile and shrugged. "Anyway…" he said, turning back to Kagome. "What was your nightmare about?" 

"Well…" Began Kagome. "I was in math class, and…"

Kagome's face turned white as a sheet. "Math class?! OH NO! WHAT TIME IS IT?!" she demanded.

Evidently, she forgot that outside of primitive deices that would eventually become clocks and watches, none currently existed in this era. She ran outside, and saw that the sun was beginning to rise.

"Ahh! I'm gonna be LATE!!!" And with that she chased off toward the well. Inu-Yasha, however, was fast on her heels. 

"You SAID you wouldn't have to do this for a while!" he yelled, at this point, they were running side by side.

"I said I wouldn't have to go IF I didn't have any upcoming tests, which I do." She huffed between strides. "Unless…"

She stopped running, and pulled out a math book from her bag. She was hoping that maybe the dream she had had some merit to it.

"Inu-Yasha… you wouldn't happen to know the answer to this problem, would you?"

Inu-Yasha snatched the book from her, and flipped to a random page.

X/12 –14 + COS=144 –2 = B

"I can't even read this!" he said in frustration. "What ARE these indecipherable runes supposed to mean, anyway?!"

"So…" Kagome said timidly. "You don't know the answer?"

"How the hell should _I_ know?" he responded gruffly. Kagome sighed. "Never mind…" and with that, she stuffed the book back into her bag, and took off. 

****

Kagome took her seat in math class, and looked around to make sure that none of her "Friends" from the feudal era were here, like in her horrible nightmare. 

"Class…" the teacher began. But something wasn't right. He looked very depressed, and was rubbing his brow. "I have some good news and some bad news…" he stated solemnly. "The bad news is…" he rubbed his brow again and sighed. "I'm sorry. This is hard for me to say…" he took a few deep breaths, and regained his composure. "Dean Reese, the transfer student from America, has been missing for a few days." He began, sighing yet again. "Yesterday… he was found… in an alley…" he gulped, and braced himself and the students for the news he was about to say. "…brutally murdered. A Dumpster, had somehow crashed into him at high speed." He paused. "I know that doesn't make much sense, and the police are investigating as we speak. I'm sorry… this had to happen…"

The students were silent, some with mouths agape. A female student in the back was crying. Kagome didn't know what to think. Nobody deserved to DIE, but she didn't know the guy very well, as she had been gone half the time. 

"Anyways, there is some good news, although it won't make up for the tragedy that just happened… a student transferred here about a week ago, and did so well in math, he has been bumped up to this higher-level class. His name is Naota Kirisawa. Please do your best to welcome him, under the current circumstances…"

A boy at the front of the class stood up. He had black shoulder-length hair, dark eyes, and was relatively short for his age. 

"My name is Naota Kirisawa. I see I have come at a bad time. I didn't know Dean very well, but I was sorry to hear of this tragedy." He stated. 

"Oh, by the way…" said the teacher. "Because of Dean's…unfortunate passing… there is an open slot on the track team. You have it, according to the coach."

  
"I see." Said Naota, flatly. "If I am to fill in for Dean, then I must do my best to live up to his name." And with that, he took his seat.

The teacher handed out the tests, and returned to his desk at the front of the room. 

"You may begin anytime." He said, subdued. 

****

Kagome heaved a sigh of relief after the test was over, and the bell had rung. Se stood outside the hallway, leaned against the wall, and sighed.

But suddenly she heard a loud Slam to the right of her. She looked over, and saw three members of the track team, one of them was grabbing Naota, the new kid, by the collar, and had slammed him up against the lockers.

"You little BASTARD! YOU did it, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Naota protested. 

"Bullshit!" Screamed the track team captain, and slammed him up against the lockers yet again. "You know damn well what I'm talking about! I'm talking about Dean! You killed him!" And with that he hit Naota with a hard right, Naota staggered.

"Admit it!" screamed the man. "You-"

"Hey!" interjected Kagome. She had heard and seen just about enough, and decided to step in. "He was killed by a large object moving at high speeds, according to the police. How could one student by himself have done something like that?"

"Do you know what you're dealing with?!" said one of the lackeys of the track team captain. 

  
Kagome narrowed her eyes. "Not much, evidently."

The track team captain sneered at Kagome, then sighed in defeat. He shoved Naota against the lockers one more time. 

  
"You listen to me, you little bastard! I don't know HOW you did it, nor do I have any real proof. But I KNOW you did it. And as soon as I find out, you're DEAD." He scoffed at him for good measure, then turned to his lackeys. "Let's go, guys." He said coldly.

Kagome helped the boy to his feet, his lip was bleeding. "I don't know what their problem is. Are you okay?"

Naota stared back into the face of the person that stuck up for him. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Long black hair, soft facial features… he choked on his words.

"I'm fuh-fuh-fuh fine…" he stuttered. 

"I'm Kagome." The girl said with a smile. "You're Naota, right?"

The boy was still at a loss for words. "Y-yeah." He said. 

"Um… I heard that you were bumped up in math because you were really good at it?"

Naota nodded. 

"Are you any good at Social Studies or Chemistry?"

  
Naota nodded yet again.

"Really? Could you help me study for them? I have tests on both subjects in a few days…"  
  
Naota beamed. "I'd…be happy to!" he said with a smile."

"You would? That's great! I'll call you sometime! Should we go to your house or mine?" 

The boy flinched. "My house is… no good…" he said, timidly. "Maybe we should… go to your house instead."

  
"Oh? I see. Sure, I guess…"

__

"Why can't I go over there, I wonder…?" Pondered Kagome. 

"When are you free?" asked Naota.

"Well… I'm kinda gone a lot of the time, but I should be home for the next few days. Call me sometime then, okay?"

"Sure…" said Naota. "I'll call you after I finish track practice…"

"Alright, then!" Kagome gave the boy a smile. "I'll talk to you later!"

She turned around as if to walk away, but then she whirled back to face Naota.   


"Oh, one more thing:" She whispered in Naota's ear.

"My grandpa's a little weird, so if he tells you I have some awful disease, don't listen to him!"

This struck Naota as a little strange, but he nodded. 

"Then I'll see you later!" said Kagome. And she waved goodbye, and began to run home…  
  
…But something wasn't right. She could feel it, the aura of a shard of the Shikon No Tama… She whirled back to see Naota hopping off with his duffel bag to get changed for track, he looked happy, with a kind of innocence she couldn't describe.

"No way…" she told herself. "That sweet kid? No way." She shrugged it off, and went home.

****

Naota couldn't wait to get home for the first time in his life. He didn't care about Track as much as he used to. He had a new goal:

He would make Kagome his. And stop anyone who got in the way. 

Author's Notes: If there are any hardcore math fanatics out there, who are looking at the part at the beginning and saying "Hey! This doesn't make any sense!" Then THAT'S THE POINT. I know full well most of those problems I made up are either mathematically impossible or just weird. Can't think of anything else to say.

-Recca 


	3. Chapter 2: A Broken Home

CHAPTER 2:A BROKEN HOME

CHAPTER 2:A BROKEN HOME

"Where in hell is she…?" Muffed Inu-Yasha, standing against a tree. "She only had one damn test… she's annoying, but she's not THAT stupid…"  


"Actually…" said Miroku. "I think she had THREE tests." 

  
"T-THREE?"

"Yep." Confirmed Miroku. "Three of 'em. I don't know why she has to do these things, but they're pretty important to her, evidently." 

"You can't force her to do it!" Shippou yelled, pointing a finger at Inu-Yasha. "Don't be a jerk just because she won't do what you want!"

Inu-Yasha picked Shippou up by the tail, and threw him in a nearby lake. He bobbled up to the surface for air, kicking and gasping to keep himself afloat. Miroku, lending a hand, picked him out of the water near the shore by his shirt collar. 

"Honestly!" said Miroku. "Did you HAVE to do that?"  
  
"I'm gonna KILL YOU!" Yelled Shippou as he charged at Inu-Yasha. Miroku held him back by his shirt, however. "Let me at him!" He huffed, while still being tethered to Miroku. 

"Oh no, please let him go!" said Inu-Yasha. "I would LOVE to see him try to take me on."  
  
"GRR!" said Shippou, breaking free of Miroku's grasp. "I'll show YOU!"

Inu-Yasha then put his hand on Shippou's forehead. Shippou was swinging wildly with his fists, but didn't really get anywhere.   
  
"You keep at it, fox." Chided Inu-Yasha. "Maybe you'll hit me sometime next century." Shippou, at this point, stopped flailing, and sat beside a nearby tree.

"Jerk…"

"Anyway…" Myoga popped up from Inu-Yasha's shoulder. "I think Kagome will probably be gone a few days. We should do something until then."

"Days?! Damn her…" Inu-Yasha set his back against a tree and scoffed. "Well, what are our options?"  


"Not a lot." Miroku shook his head. "We can't move too far from here, because we don't know quite when she'll be back. There aren't a lot of inns around here…"

"Let's go back to the one we were last night! That place was pretty swanky…" Beamed Shippou, thinking of a warm, fluffy bed and a good meal.

"That wouldn't work." Said Miroku. "We can't afford to stay there, much less even a really cheap inn, and even though that innkeeper wasn't the brightest man in the world, if I came back and told him there may be MORE evil spirits, then even he would begin to suspect something."

His gaze fixated on the lake where Inu-Yasha had tossed Shippou previously. There were some fish jumping around in the lake, their scales shimmered in the early afternoon sun. 

"We should set up camp here." Miroku said. "We'll fish for our food until she gets back, and set up camp."

"Genius." Said Inu-Yasha sarcastically. "Oh, except for the fact that we have NO POLES to fish with." He rolled his eyes.

"Hmm…" Miroku was deep in thought. "Shippou, could you turn into a fishing pole, by any chance?"   
  
Shippou beamed. "Yeah! Just leave it to me!" With a loud "boom" and a puff of smoke, Shippou had become a fishing pole. Unfortunately, the rod was about the size and width of a small twig, and the line was about a foot long. Not quite the equipment for fishing.

"Um…Shippou?" Said Miroku, with a disappointing look on his face. "This isn't going to cut it…"

"I'll try again." Came a voice emanating from the pole. Another "Boom" and puff of smoke later, Shippou was a fishing pole that would actually work, although it looked sort of like a deformed stick.

"That's much better!" said Miroku. "But what about bait…?" 

Miroku's gaze fixated on Inu-Yasha. 

"Forget it." Inu-Yasha glared at Miroku. "There is no way in hell I am getting on my hands and knees and digging for worms." Narrowing his eyes, he turned away from Miroku. "How about I fish, and YOU dig for worms?"

"Fishing is a game of patience." Said Miroku. "And you just don't have any." Inu-Yasha couldn't argue with that. 

"Feh. Damn it all…" and with that, he got on his knees and began to dig. Miroku burst into laughter. Childlike laughter was emanating from the fishing-pole, as well.

"What the hell are YOU laughing at?" yelled Inu-Yasha. 

Miroku was in stitches. "You look like a real dog!" he said, then both he and Shippou burst into wild laughter. 

"Shut up!" yelled Inu-Yasha. Everyone was still laughing. "I SAID, SHUT UP!" Miroku was rolling on the floor. Inu-Yasha picked up a clump of earth he recently dug up, and chucked it in his direction.

  
"Hey!" said Miroku, brushing the dirt out of his hair. "Fine, fine, just get us some worms, okay?"

Myoga was sucking on Inu-Yasha's chest. "Inu-Yasha sama-" 

But he was met with Inu-Yasha's hand. "Shut up, flea…"

****

That night, everyone had their fill of fish, and were about ready to turn it in for the night. Shippou was already fast asleep; Miroku and Inu-Yasha were trying their best to drown out his soft snoring.   
  
"A day." Said Inu-Yasha flatly. 

Miroku sat up. "What do you mean?" 

"She has one day to get back here, or I'm coming after her." Said Inu-Yasha. "And don't even bother trying to stop me."

"Do whatever you want. I guess we'll have to wait here in case she come back, then." and then he laid back down and drifted off to sleep.

Inu-Yasha sighed. "Get back here soon, Kagome. It's a lot harder to baby-sit these bastards without you…"

****

"Kagome? Yes, well…" Said the old man to the voice on the telephone. "I am afraid she has been ill lately…"

"Ill?" came the voice on the other line. It was Naota, calling as promised. "What does she have?"  
  
"Um…" the old man panicked. "She has…"

__

Let's see… what HAVEN'T I used yet…?  


"I fear she has Lupus."

"Lupus?" said the puzzled voice on the other line. Naota recalled that he should not heed Kagome's Grandfather's words on this matter.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Oh yes, quite positive." Came the voice on the other line. "In fact, she also has leprosy, which isn't helping ma-"

"Who's on the phone, grandpa?" asked Kagome, who had just happened to step in the room.

"It's… uh…"

"Did you tell him I'm sick?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Well… sort of…" Said Her Grandfather meekly. 

"Give me that!" She demanded, snatching the phone from her grandfather. "Hello?"

"Hello, Kagome? It's Naota. From school, remember?" 

"Yeah, I remember." She said. "It's only been a couple of hours, you know."

Naota flinched. What an idiot he sounded like! "Sorry…"

"I'm just joking." Kagome laughed. This guy needed to not be so uptight.

"Oh." Said Naota, giving a faint chuckle. "Um… where do you live?" 

"Um… do you know where the Sunset Shrine is? On top of that hill?"

"You live near there?" said Naota enthusiastically. "I live near there, too, since we moved a while ago!"

"Actually…" said Kagome, rooting through the fridge for something to drink. "I LIVE there."  
  
Naota laughed. "That's awesome! Can I come over now, or is this a bad time for you?"

Kagome found some sort of soda, and opened it. "Um… sure! Have you eaten dinner yet? I suppose you could eat with us…"  


"Really? Thanks! I'll be over soon. Bye!"

Kagome smiled. "Bye!" 

****

"One more time." Said Naota. "There are how many electrons in boron?"

Kagome was rubbing her forehead. This was almost as hard as math for her, and that's saying a lot. "Four?" she guessed. 

"No. That's wrong." Said Naota.   
  
"Oh well." She sighed. "I'll probably do okay on the test tomorrow. It's getting late."

"Yeah." Said Naota, and then he gave a long yawn. "We'll, I'd better go. My dad will be upset if I'm late."

"Naota… can I ask you a question?" Said Kagome.

Naota flinched. "Um… sure." He said. "What is it?"

"That pendant." She said, pointing to the stone that hung around Naota's neck. "Where did you get that pendant?"

Naota tightened his grip on the stone that hung on a necklace. "It was… a gift from my mother." He said meekly.

"Let me see-" 

"DON'T TOUCH IT!" snapped Naota.

For a long time, there was silence. Naota was clearly attached to that pendant very much. He sighed, and regained his composure. 

"I'm sorry." He said. "My mother is dead. This is what she left me before she died."

All the color flushed from Kagome's face. _"That's a shard, no doubt about it…_" she said to herself. _"There's no way I can ask him for it. Not knowing this."  
_

"How did she die?" she asked, hesitantly. She stared intently at Naota's face.

"My parents were… divorced." He began. "She found a new boyfriend after that, and they both died in a car wreck… she was in intensive care for a while before she died. That's when… she gave me this. She told me it would protect me."

"I-" Kagome's mind drew only blanks. "I'm so sorry…"

For a long time, they both just sat there, staring blankly. Neither knew what to say.

"I'd better go." Said Naota. He packed up his belongings. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Said Kagome, flatly. Conversation was still awkward. "Thanks for your help. I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay?" 

Naota nodded. "I also wanted… to thank you."

Kagome had a rather puzzled expression on her face. "Thank ME?" she said in disbelief. "I should be thanking you. I may ace these tests because of you."

"I mean to thank you…" he smiled. "For sticking up for me today." he said. "Most people don't do things like that for me…" he lowered his head.

Kagome was quick to rush by his side. "Hey, now!" she said. "That's everybody else's problem, not yours. You're a great person. That's what matters."

"It feels good…" Naota said between brief sobs. "To have someone say that to me…"

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said. "Don't forget what I told you, okay?" She smiled. Naota smiled back, and was on his way out.

****

Kagome was about to go to sleep when she noticed that Naota left one of his Textbooks here, his Chemistry Textbook to be exact.   
  
"I should bring it to him…" Kagome decided. She looked up his name in the phone book, and found his address. He was right, it wasn't far from her house at all. 

"Grandpa? I'm going to take this book back to Naota. I'll be home soon!"

Her Grandpa was fast asleep already, and snoring loudly.

"Never mind…" she said, and went off to find Naota.   
  
****

"This is it…" said Kagome, as she stood in front of a plain house. It wasn't shabby by any means, just sort of plain and small.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

There were loud voices coming from inside the house. One was clearly Naota's father.

Kagome knew she had to stay and see what happens next. Maybe it would explain why Naota has such a rough time in general. She stood near the door, but away from any windows to avoid being seen, and listened…

****

"I said, where the hell were you?"   
  
Naota cringed at the sight of his father's anger. "I was helping a friend study." He said firmly. "You don't need to be so upset with me."

"A friend, huh?" said the man. He was average height, with dirty, black hair and gruff stubble of hair on his face. His clothing was disheveled, he smelled of alcohol. "It's about damn time you got some friends. So what's this guys name, anyway?"

"HER name, is Kagome."

"A GIRL?!" Said the man gruffly. He rubbed his chin and shook his head. "You can't see her again." The man said.   
  
Naota was crushed. "W-why?" he said, near tears.

"Girls are trouble, Naota. Look at me for example." He took a swig of a beer he had left out on the counter. "I loved your mother, and she used me. We got divorced, she got our old house and all my belongings." He took another drink, and sighed. "But I got you, so she would have to pay child support!" he beamed with pride.

Naota seethed with anger on the inside. "I was used." He said to himself. "He doesn't love me… he wanted revenge…"

"But then that bitch died in that car wreck, and couldn't pay anymore." He growled. "I swear, that woman has cheated me out of every-"

"SHUT UP!" Yelled Naota, in tears.

"You… little…" his father began lumbering towards him.

"Mother was better than you'll ever be!" He yelled. "Look at you! You're so pathetic! All you do is drink all day, to forget the fact that you're a loser!" He screamed with narrowed eyes and clenched fists. 

"And Mother didn't leave you because she used you!" he protested. "_She left because you were a fucking drunk!"_ Naota screamed this louder than he had ever screamed before. He was so angry; angrier than he had ever been in is whole life. 

The next thing he knew, he was thrown into the wall. He felt his father's fist in his stomach, and he slumped to the floor. His father kicked him in the ribs; he tasted the bitter taste of blood in his mouth. 

"You little shit…" said his father through clenched teeth. "How could be so ungrateful? After all I've done for you…"

"You never did anything for me… or mother…" he said faintly. His father kicked him again.

"GET IN YOUR ROOM!" he yelled, filled with rage. "I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT!"

Naota crawled back up on his feet, and made his way to his room. "Don't worry." He told his father. "If I had my way… I'd never see you again." Then he added. "You are not my father. Not anymore."

His father was about to chase after him, when the doorbell rang. He opened the door, and saw a black-haired girl; she looked as if she was in high school. "Um…" she said meekly. "Your son left this…" she outstretched an arm, holding a book. The man snatched it, and then practically slammed the door in her face. 

****

"Why can't I do something about him?" Naota asked himself within the confines of his room. "I could do away with him, now that I have this…" he clutched the Shikon Shard that hung around his neck. "…but I'm too scared… too scared to stand up to him…" he began to cry for a while, then laughed at himself. "Look at me." He said. "He was right… I am _pathetic…_"

****

"That poor kid…" Kagome thought to herself, as she lay awake in her bed. "He must hate himself… so much… I can't imagine having to live with a man like that…" Tomorrow at school, she would tell him what she saw. And do everything she could to help him out. 

But with the power a Shikon Shard can give a person, and with all the built-up rage Naota must have, she had to wonder… if maybe he really did kill that boy…

Authors Notes: Now you know a little about Naota. I wanted to portray him in a sense that the reader would be able to feel for him, and become somewhat attached to him as a character. Thanks for reading thus far. Let it be known that I am not writing this out of experience, my parents are still together, and although I try to portray it realistically, ultimately I don't know what it's like, so I apologize if I did a bad job portraying it. Thanks for reading. 


	4. Chapter 3: Love is Dangerous

CHAPTER 3:

CHAPTER 3: LOVE IS DANGEROUS

Kagome felt pretty sure she had aced that chemistry test, thanks to Naota's help. There were only two or three problems she had to guess on, and even then, she was sure she'd make an "A." She walked through the halls on her way outside for Lunch; she would eat outside with her friends today.

When she arrived outside, her friends were all sitting on the curb outside the school. All three of them looked really depressed. 

"What's wrong?" asked Kagome, taking a seat on the curb beside one of her friends.   
"Dean…" said one of the girls. All three sighed in unison.

"Oh." Said Kagome, taking a bite out of a red apple. "Still that, huh?" she said nonchalantly.

"I understand how YOU could say that, Kagome…" said the girl on the far right. "You never really got to meet him. You would have liked him, Kagome. I mean, REALLY liked him…"

"He was so dreamy…" piped the one in the middle. "You would have gotten to meet him, but you were usually gone. It's too bad you had The Ebola Virus…" she sighed. 

"And Scarlet Fever…" said another. "By the way, how did you get over Ebola? I thought there was no cure…"

Kagome blushed, and took another bite of her apple. "Um… a miracle, I guess…"

"Ooooh! Kagome!" chirped the one in the middle. "I heard you were studying last night with that new kid! Is that true?" The other girls instantly shot up. "Really? What happened, Kagome? Give us the juicy details!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" said another. "Don't leave anything out! Man, first Hojo… now the new kid… you are SO lucky Kagome."

"TOTALLY lucky." Replied the first. "So what happened?"

Kagome rubbed her forehead. She wondered if these girls would EVER grow up. "I needed help with Chemistry for an upcoming test. He does pretty well in school, I asked for his help, so we studied." 

"So did you study the back of his throoooooaaaat?" all three girls giggled madly. 

Kagome put her face in her hands. "Nothing happened!" she said, rubbing her temples. "We studied chemistry! That's all! Nothing else!"

The three girls stopped laughing after a time, and calmed down. 

  
"But would you?" one of the girls asked. 

Kagome was confused, as was evident by the look on her face. "Would I _what?_" 

"If he wanted to… you know…" the girl said. "Would you?"

Kagome groaned. "If he wanted to… what? You mean, make-out?" She asked. All the girls nodded. 

  
"I'd probably say-"

But there was Naota, sitting by himself. Kagome had some things she had to talk with him about. She packed up her lunch, and stood up. 

"Hold that thought: I'm gonna go sit with him." She said, pointing to Naota. All the girls giggled. 

"We wanna come too!"

"Nuh-uh." Said Kagome. "This is private. I have some things I need to tell him. "

"A _private_ lunch?" one of the girls gasped. 

"I thought nothing was happening between you two, Kagome!" one of the girls chided. "Yeah!" said another. "What happened to that?"

"I'M JUST GOING TO TALK TO HIM!" Kagome yelled. Even Naota looked up to see what was going on. "IT DOESNT MEAN WE'RE DATING!" And with that, she stormed off to the bench where Naota was sitting. 

The three girls exchanged glances. "She is SO into him." They all nodded in agreement. 

****

"Is anyone sitting here?" Kagome asked. Naota shook his head, and patted a hand by an empty space on the bench. 

"I guess I'll have a seat, then!" Kagome said, smiling. She took her seat, took out her half-eaten apple, and began munching on it. 

"So…" Naota said. "Do you think you did okay on that chemistry test?" He asked. 

"I probably got an 'A', thanks to you!" Kagome said, excited. "There were only about two or three answers that I didn't know, and even then I took an educated guess. Thanks a bunch, Naota!" Kagome gave him a soft smile.

"You're welcome." Said Naota, returning her smile. "If there's anything else I can help you with, just let me know, okay?" he said. 

"I can't think of anything immediately…" Kagome said. "But I'm sure I'll need help with something of that nature sooner or later. Thanks." She said, and took another bite of her apple.

"Naota… I have to ask you something."

The color flushed from Naota's face. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's about last night…" Kagome said. "I saw… what happened between you and your father." 

Naota's heart sank into his stomach. The woman he secretly loved and wanted to be respected by, had seen him at his most pitiful state. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Kagome. "I'll help you in anyway I can. I'll-"

"You'll _what?"_ grunted Naota. "Tell him to 'be nice?' Tell him to leave me alone 'or else?' There's nothing you or anyone else can do!"

Kagome was taken aback. "I just wanted to help you!" she said, hurt. "I'm sorry for intruding, I didn't mean to see that happen! I just wanted to give you your book back, and that's when it happened. I didn't mean to see it!" she repeated. "Honest!"

Now Naota REALLY felt bad. "Don't be sorry." He said, sighing. "It's not your fault. I just…" he stammered. "I just couldn't stand for you to see how pathetic I was before him…"

Kagome grabbed his hand, and clenched it. "Don't talk like that!" she said. "I don't know what I'd do in that situation, either. You are NOT pathetic. You're one of the sweetest people I know; you just have some bad circumstances that prevent you from having a better home-life. Don't talk down to yourself, okay?" she smiled. Naota threw his arms around Kagome's neck. 

"Thanks…" he said.   
  
"It's okay." Said Kagome. "I really can't do much to help, of that you are right. But if you need to talk to someone, I'll be willing to listen, okay?" She smiled. 

  
"Okay." Naota said. "Thanks a lot, Kagome… for everything."

"Anytime." Said Kagome. She was about to finish her apple, when the school bell rang. "Lunch is OVER?" said Kagome in disbelief. "I haven't even finished!" she sighed, and packed up her bag. "Oh well. Anyway, I'll see you later, okay Naota?" 

Naota nodded. "Yeah, later." He said. "Have a good day."

"You too, Naota." Kagome ran back to her class, but before she could even get inside, her friends converged on her.

"He HUGGED YOU!" gasped one of them, giddy with excitement. 

"Kagome, did you ask him out?" said another.

"Are you in looooooove?" said the third. 

"NO!" she screamed. "NOTHING happened. Just because we hugged, doesn't mean we're engaged, or something!"

"But you still haven't answered our question!" said one of the girls. 

"What question?" Kagome demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"Would you?" repeated the same girl.

"Oh, god." Said Kagome. "You three REALLY need to grow up, you know that?"

"Would you? Wouldyouwouldyouwouldyou? Huh? Huh? Huh?"  


"Arrrghhh…" groaned Kagome. She may as well tell them; at least then it would get them off her back. "I don't think so. I like him as a friend, but I doubt we'd date. I don't consider him to be like a boyfriend or anything. He's just a sweet little kid, that's all." 

The girls groaned. "Aw, man. We we're hoping for something juicy."

"I have to go now." Kagome said. "I'm late for class as it is, thanks to you three. Hope you're happy…"

"Bye Kagome!" The girls chirped. 

"Yeah, yeah…" said Kagome, as she ran off to her class. 

****

Naota did not go to his class. He was too depressed, angry, and sad all at once. He had heard every word Kagome had said. He could handle it if she said something like "I don't think I could date him now, it's too early." Or "I don't know… we'll see." But she gave him no hope. She had already made up her mind that she would never be his. 

__

"He's just a sweet little kid, that's all."

"Is that it?" Naota asked himself. "Is that all she sees me as? Does she really think I'm 'just a little kid?' Am I really so insignificant to her?"

Naota decided then and there that he would change her mind. "She still doesn't know… about my power." He said, clutching the Shikon Shard that hung from his neck. "I don't know exactly what yet, but somehow, I'll prove it to her." He said. "I'll show her that I'm not 'just a little kid.' But…" he said, considering the possibility that there may be someone else in her life.

"If it turns out there is someone else she already loves…" he gave a sadistic, almost unearthly smile. "I'll just have to kill him."

Naota may have been a sweet little kid…

__

But he is not one to be taken lightly.

****

Kagome had stayed after school that day. She needed to see what she got on her tests in Math and Chemistry, and see if she would have to retake anything. Thanks to Naota's help, she got an 'A' on her chemistry exam. However, she failed math. HARD. 

"I FAILED?" she asked.   
  
"It sure looks that way." Said the teacher. "You got a 30%. That's failing, and pretty bad, I must say."  
  
Kagome sighed. "Can I…"

"…retake it?" the teacher finished Kagome's sentence. "Yeah. I'm letting everyone who failed retake it because I gave the news about Dean prior to it, so I figured that may have ruined some peoples concentration."   
  
"Can I take it now?" she asked. 

"I suppose." Said the teacher. "I won't be outta here for a few hours, got some paperwork to do. As long as you're quiet, I guess you can take it now." 

Kagome grabbed the test, some scrap paper, and a pencil, took the nearest desk and sat down. Several Tangents, variables, secants, and cosines later, she had finished her test. 

"Here you go." Said Kagome, as she handed in her paper to the teacher. "When do you think you'll have my test score?"

"Probably not until tomorrow afternoon." Said the teacher. "Just come and see me after school, it won't take that long. But bear in mind, Miss Higurashi, if you fail this time, there will be no retakes."

  
"I understand, sir." 

****

Kagome had nothing better to do for the rest of the day than to watch Naota run at track team. There was no doubt about it: he was really good. He could run even faster than the captain, something that the captain was probably none too pleased about. 

After practice, Kagome decided she would wait for Naota, and walk him home, since they lived so close together. His father probably wouldn't like it, but she didn't care. He was a good friend to her.

After everyone had gone home, she was still waiting for Naota. He had not come out yet, and everyone else had gone home… or so she thought.

The captain of the track team approached her.

"Oh." She said. "It's you. You're that guy that was being a jerk to Naota yesterday!" She said in disgust. "What do YOU want?"

The captain of the track team grabbed Kagome by her shoulders, and looked her straight in the eye. 

  
"Listen to me." He said. "Stay away from that kid. He's trouble."

"Trouble?" said Kagome. "Do you STILL think he killed Dean?"

"HE DID!" yelled the captain of the track team. "He killed him! Has he told you anything about it? Anything at all? Please tell me! I need to know!"

"L-Let go of me!" Kagome screamed.

At that point, Naota had emerged from the locker room. All he saw was Kagome, being pinned to the lockers by the track team captain and screaming for help.

"Perfect." Said Naota to himself. "I'll save her, and then she'll see! She'll see that I'm not just a little kid anymore!"

He strode over to where Kagome was being pinned. "You'd better let her go." He said flatly. 

The captain of the track team looked at him and scoffed. "I got no beef with you. Now buzz off!"   
  
"Don't worry, Naota!" said Kagome. "He'll let go soon, or I'll kick him."  
  
"Did he tell you anything?" screamed the track team captain again. "Did he…"

He looked over at Naota, and his jaw nearly hit the floor. 

Naota's eyes were solid red, and were glowing eerily. His hair seemed to blow back and forth in this energy, whatever it was.   
  
"N-Naota?" asked Kagome. "W-what are-"

"I SAID LET HER GO!" he screamed, and pushed his arm forward. The captain flew about fifty feet, and hit the lockers all the way down the hall. His head was bleeding; it formed a pool of blood at his feet. He was unconscious. 

"Naota…you…" Kagome stuttered. "Oh my god! I'll go call an ambulance! He needs…"

Naota's eyes flashed red again. 

"Naota! Don't do it! He-"

"It's too late, Kagome." Naota said. The lockers the captain had been slammed into began teetering; soon it would topple over on the unconscious captain's body.

"Stop!" Kagome begged. "Naota, please-"

"He's seen my power, Kagome. I can't let him live." 

And with that, the lockers fell on the captain's body. He was killed instantaneously. 

Kagome slumped to her knees. "You…" she began sobbing silently. "You killed Dean too, didn't you?!" 

"Ha!" said Naota. "Dean was a pretty face, nothing more. Who cares about him?" 

Kagome stood up. She wanted to run, but Naota grabbed her arm.   
  
"S-Stay back!" Kagome said. She was in tears. The boy she once considered a good friend now terrified her.

The look in Naota's eyes was sympathetic. "Please." He said. "Please don't be afraid of me…" he was clearly very hurt. "I would NEVER do anything to hurt you, Kagome. NEVER." 

He took Kagome's hand, and walked outside with her. Kagome was too scared to break free of his grasp and run. All she could do was follow him, and trust him when he said he would not harm her. 

Once outside, Naota's eyes flashed red again. When it happened, He began to float in midair. 

"Take my hand, Kagome." Said Naota gently. "I won't let you fall." Reluctantly, Kagome took his hand. And they rose into the air, until they were both on top of the school building.

Naota set Kagome down, let go of her hand, and sat down beside her. Kagome still wouldn't dare run away.

"I've always had mild psychic ability." Naota began. "I got it from my mother, she had it too. She told me never to show anybody. She said they wouldn't understand." He sighed. "It was just parlor tricks anyway, I could never do much beyond floating things in midair."

His hand clenched the Shikon Shard that hung around his neck. "But ever since my mother gave me this… It's been so much stronger." He said. "And one day, something occurred to me: throughout my life, I have taken crap from absolutely everybody. School Bullies, Class Clowns, the 'cool' people, my father…" He cringed at the mention of his father. "But I realized that with this power, I don't have to. I don't have to do it anymore. I can get whatever I want, and stop anyone who thinks I'm not good enough to get it." He clenched his fist.

"Kagome, steal away with me!" said Naota with a smile. "Don't you see? I can do the same for you! I can get you whatever you want! Anything in the whole world! We can get whatever we need to survive with no problems, and live happily together." He smiled, and extended Kagome his hand. 

"All you need to do is take my hand. And then we can spend the rest of our lives together. Will you take it, Kagome?" 

Kagome's heart was pounding like a drum. She liked Naota, even though he was less pure than he originally seemed. But spend the rest of her LIFE with him? No way. 

"Please take my hand, Kagome… Don't you see? I can have anything I want, but... All I need is you." Naota was near tears. He said it again, slower, gentler. 

__

"Please…take…my hand…"

"I-I…" Kagome stuttered. She stood up and did the only thing she could do: Run. She whirled around and headed for the stairs.

"Kagome! Wait!" Naota's eyes flashed and he took to the air; he was hot on her heels. 

Kagome ran down the stairs, level after level, until she was at the bottom floor. She bolted out the door and was about to run home, but then she realized…

__

"He knows where I live…" 

"Kagome!" said Naota, with tears in his eyes. "Please! Come back!" His whole body was emanating red light as he flew through the schoolyard. It was nighttime, and everyone had gone home. Nobody was here to help her.

Kagome ran for her life. Love had never been so scary for her until now. 

"Kagome! Please!" Naota pleaded through tears. "Don't you see? Don't you see how much I care about you?!" Kagome hid behind some bleachers near the track. Naota couldn't see her. 

"Kagome… come back!" He screamed. 

  
Naota was heaving like a dog. He flew around, looking for her, calling her name all the while. Eventually he grounded in the center of the track, fell to his knees…

…and emitted the worst scream Kagome had ever heard. It lasted almost 10 seconds, purely primal, composed solely of rage and frustration. 

"WHY?!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "WHY DON'T YOU SEE? WHAT'S WRONG? WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH?!" He began sobbing uncontrollably. "AREN'T I GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU? PLEASE TELL ME! TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO DO TO MAKE YOU LOVE ME!"

He stood up, flew over to a nearby set of bleachers, and blasted it with his psychic powers. The metal twisted and contorted, and then flew about 100 feet into a parked car. The car exploded on impact. 

__

"If I don't at least come out of hiding…" Kagome told herself. _"He could end up killing someone!"_

Kagome ran out from behind the bleachers where she was stationed, and knocked on them a couple times so Naota would know where she was. She didn't need to join him, all she needed to do was lure him out of here. Naota heard the banging near the bleachers, saw Kagome run out from behind them, and continued his pursuit. 

"Wait! Please, Kagome!" he said, chasing after her in the air once more. "Please don't be afraid of me! I won't hurt you! KAGOME! PLEASE COME BACK!"

__

"Help me, Inu-Yasha!" Her mind screamed. 

__

"With all this pent up rage and frustration… combined with his new powers…" Kagome said. _"He could end up KILLING me! Even if he doesn't mean to!"_

Her only hope was to make it back to the bone-eaters-well, and call Inu-Yasha.  
  
She hoped to god that Inu-Yasha would answer her call for help.

Authors Notes: I apologize for referring to Kagome's friends as "Three Girls," but I really have no idea what their names are. I have manga Vol. 1-6 and have seen the first 23 episodes of the anime, and I don't THINK they've ever been mentioned. "Where's Inu-Yasha?" you are no doubt asking. He'll be in the next chapter, you can bet on it. This story should be wrapped up within two or three more chapters. Sorry for not uploading anything lately, but with horrible things happening in America lately, I haven't felt much like writing until now. Thanks for reading, and be sure to drop a review. Like it? Hate it? Think I've seen "AKIRA" one too many times? Let me know!


	5. Chapter 4: All I Want...

CHAPTER 4:

CHAPTER 4: ALL I WANT…

Inu-Yasha paced around the place where He, Miroku, and Shippou had stayed. He'd been pacing impatiently for some time, now.

"Will you STOP?" said Shippou, irritated. "You act like the world's gonna end, or something. She'll probably be here soon."

"She's LATE, dammit!" Inu-Yasha snapped. "Where the hell is she?" 

"She's fine." Said Miroku, always the calm one. He was lying down in the grass, hands behind his head, and staring at the sky, as if he hadn't a care in the world. "Why don't you have a seat, or something? You're making everybody nervous."

"Well, I can't stop!" Inu-Yasha yelled, breaking his pace. "She needs to get her ass here, now, or else!"

"It's true she's running late…" said Shippou. "And if I have to eat one more fish, I'll be sick." 

"It's not like we can go without her, anyway." Sighed Miroku. "What else can we do?"

"What else?" said Inu-Yasha. "I'll SHOW you, 'what else!' I'm going after her! I don't care if she's in the middle of a test, or whatever you call those things she's taking! I'll pick her up by her hair and drag her here, if I have to!" 

Miroku, stood up, brushed the grass of his knees, and stretched. "Heh. You must be really worried about her…" he said. "You get impatient every time she goes." 

"I _WHAT?!" _said Inu-Yasha, with rage in his eyes. "Take that back!"

Miroku clasped his hands in front of his face, and batted his eyelashes. "Oh Kagome…" said Miroku in a high pitched, falsetto voice. "I miss you sooooooooo much!" 

"Shut up!" screamed Inu-Yasha, running after Miroku. Miroku ran around a tree, and Inu-Yasha gave chase. 

"Please come back, Kagome!" Miroku continued. "I love you… please don't leave me!"

"AHHHHHHHH!" Inu-Yasha was furious, by this point, they were both circling the tree, neither had a lead on each other. Shippou sat at the base of the tree, rolling over and clutching his stomach in laughter. "I will cut your throat, so help me god!"

Inu-Yasha, ran in the opposite direction, and met up with Miroku. He pounded him in the head, sending him face down in the dirt. 

Miroku, got up, spat dirt out of his mouth, and dusted himself off. Shippou was in tears from laughing so hard. "You know…" he began. "It wouldn't kill you to develop a sense of humor…" 

"It probably wouldn't." said Inu-Yasha. "But It WOULD kill YOU if you tried something like that again. Got it?" 

Miroku scoffed. "You wouldn't kill me." 

"Oh?" said Inu-Yasha with an eyebrow raised. He cracked his knuckles and drew his claws for good measure. "Wouldn't I, now?"

Miroku smiled. "No. You wouldn't. I could always suck you into my air rip, first of all…" he said, placing a hand on his wrist. "And second of all, you would have done it by now if you really wanted to. And…" he said with a smirk. "…I still haven't heard you deny that you miss Kagome…"

The next thing he knew, Miroku was face down on the dirt again. "You need to settle down…" he said.

"I DO NOT MISS HER!" Inu-Yasha yelled. "I…I just grow tired of having to wait for her, that's all. I just want to get back to collecting jewel shards."   


"In fact…" he said. "I'm going to get her right now." And with that, he walked off toward the bone-eaters well. 

"I'm coming too." Said Shippou, who finally stopped laughing. 

"Like hell you are!" snapped Inu-Yasha. "You stay here with Miroku in case she comes back. If either you follow me… then so help me god…" he flashed a claw to emphasize his point. 

****

Kagome was still running like there was no tomorrow. What was going on in this kid's mind at the time? What was he thinking, doing this to her?

"Kagome, please stop!" Naota begged. 

Kagome certainly was not going to stop now. In a few more minutes, she would be home, at the well. And she would call Inu-Yasha for help. 

Naota's eyes flashed, and Kagome stopped moving. Something was keeping her from running, it was something Naota did with his mind to her. She was frozen. 

Naota touched down from the ground, and strode up to the frozen Kagome. 

"Kagome… why?" he began, tears in his eyes. "Why don't you love me?" 

"I-" began Kagome. The only thing she could move was her mouth. "I _like_ you…" she said, trying to be reassuring and to let him down as gently as possible. "But I don't _love_ you…" 

"WHY?" Naota said in between sobs. "I'll change!" he said. "I'd do anything for you, Kagome. Anything! What do you want me to do?" 

"I… don't know, Naota!" she yelled, scared for her life. "I don't expect anything from you like that. But…" she said. "This isn't like you. It would help if you were to be yourself…"

"I HATE MYSELF!" Naota screamed inbetween sobs. "Why can't you see that? But I love YOU Kagome. You're beautiful… kind… caring…funny…" he sobbed. "You… you make me better than I really am." 

"Naota…" she said. 

"Please, Kagome! You are everything to me! I've never cared about anything until now! Please-"

But Naota was sent flying into a nearby wall of a building. When he was hit, Kagome could move again.

She spun around, and saw Inu-Yasha standing there, cracking his knuckles. 

"This is why I hate it when you leave, Kagome." He said with a cocky attitude. "Whenever you leave, I always end up having to get you out of a jam."

****

"Who are you?" asked Naota. 

Inu-Yasha scoffed. "Feh. You won't be alive much longer to find out my name." He said with a smirk. His eye caught a shard hanging from his neck. "You have a shard!" Inu-Yasha said with joy. "You're TWICE as dead, now! Say goodbye, boy!" He readied his claws and charged Naota.

"Sankon-"

"SIT!" screamed Kagome. Inu-Yasha hit the floor hard.   
  
"Hey!" screamed Inu-Yasha as he got back to his feet. "What'd you do THAT for? He has a shard, Kagome!"

"I don't want you to kill him…" said Kagome. "He… he has strong psychic powers, but he's human. Please don't kill him… just take the shard, and he'll be back to normal." She clenched her fist. "I…I should have taken it earlier…"

"WHAT?" screamed Inu-Yasha. "You mean, you could have taken the shard, but you DIDN'T?! What is WRONG with you?!"

"It was a gift from his dead mother!" said Kagome. 

"So what?!" retorted Inu-Yasha. "It's still a shikon shard, right?"

"You are such a JERK!" she yelled. "I can't-" 

But Naota had returned to his feet, and was laughing faintly.

"I get it now." He said. "You we're just getting close to me to get this, weren't you?" He said, clutching the jewel that hung from his neck.   
  
Kagome was taken aback. "No!" she screamed. "That's not it at all! I was-"

"You're LYING!" he yelled. "You think I'm a freak! I was wrong about you! You're just like everybody else!"

"That's not true, Naota!" She retorted. "I care about you! I-"

"Besides…" Naota cut her off. "You already have someone." He pointed to Inu-Yasha.

"Her?" said Inu-Yasha. "Yeah, right! We're not…"

"You're lying." He said. "I can tell. You love her."

Inu-Yasha flinched. 

And despite the current circumstances, Kagome blushed. 

"No mercy." Naota said through clenched teeth. "No mercy for any of you!" His eyes began glowing red. Inu-Yasha was sent flying into a tree. He immediately hopped back up to his feet and charged Naota, claws in the air, poised to strike. Naota shot him back with another psychic blast, and Inu-Yasha slammed into a wall. He spat out some blood.

"Shit…" he thought to himself. "How can I counter attack this guy when there's no way to dodge his attacks…?" 

"A good question…" said Myoga, who popped up from Inu-Yasha's shoulder. 

"Where have YOU been?!" demanded Inu-Yasha. 

  
"I was watching so I could… get a tactical standpoint!" said Myoga.

"Uh-huh." Said Inu-Yasha. "Look, if you're just going to be a coward, than do me a favor and get the hell out of here. Unless you have some advice on how to beat this guy without killing him?" he scoffed. "Curse you, Kagome… and your damn sympathy." 

"Kagome!" said Myoga. "That's it!" he hopped off Inu-Yasha and ran up to Kagome. "Kagome!" Myoga said. "Can you see it? The psychic energy?" 

"Of course not!" said Kagome. "You can't see thought!" 

"Try closing your eyes!" said Myoga. "Close your eyes and tell me if you can see it!"

"I'll try…" said Kagome, closing her eyes.

"She's proven her mystic sight before…" said Myoga to himself. "Let's see if she can do it this time." 

"You're all dead anyway!" screamed Naota. And his eyes glew red again. 

Kagome saw it in her mind; a flash of purple energy emanating from Naota's body and zooming off towards Inu-Yasha. 

"Inu-Yasha!" Screamed Kagome. "In front of you!"

Inu-Yasha jumped to his left, the blast hit the wall of an abandoned building, destroying the wall entirely. Brick and other debris spread out in an explosion. 

  
Inu-Yasha dodged blast after blast according to Kagome's commands. 

"Left!" she screamed. "Right! From the front!"

Inu-Yasha made his way to Naota, and swiped his claws at him. It made cuts on his chest, but most importantly, it severed the shikon shard from his neck. It clattered to the ground. 

"No!" screamed Naota, and dove for the shard in an attempt to get it before Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha ran furiously in an effort to get there before him, but he was too late.

"Shit!" screamed Inu-Yasha, and made another swipe at Naota. Naota sent Inu-Yasha flying with a psychic blast at point-blank range. He hit another wall, and fell to the ground, blood dripped from his head, streaking down his cheek. 

"Dammit…" he cursed, and got back to his feet. 

"Ha!" laughed Naota, with an evil stare in his eyes. "See? See how futile this all is? Look at you. You are no match for…"

Naota slumped to hiss knees and coughed up blood. 

"He lapsing…" said Myoga. 

"What?" demanded Kagome. "What's happening?"

"The psychic energy he uses is more than his mind can handle." Explained Myoga. "If he keeps it up, he'll die."

"Heh." Said Inu-Yasha, struggling to stand on his feet. "We'll just let him kill himself, then!"

"No!" screamed Kagome. "Naota, stop this! You'll kill yourself!" 

"Heh." Said Naota. "I thought this was too good to be true. But if I'm gonna go… I'm taking your lover with me!" 

Naota fired blast after blast at Inu-Yasha, his face was covered in blood.

"Naota! Please stop!"

"It's too late, Kagome!" he screamed. But he could not fire more blasts. He slumped to the ground, and clutched his head. 

"Naota!" Kagome ran to his side. 

"Stay away from me!" he screamed. He was in a trance-like state; a stream of drool came from his mouth, and his eyes rolled back into his head.   


"My head… my head…" Naota repeated over and over. It felt like it was going to explode. 

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A purple energy wave began emitting from Naota. It spread around him, dome-shaped, until it was about 15 feet in diameter, and shut everything out. 

Cuts started appearing all over Naota's body, his shirt was eaten away by the energy, blood formed a poll at his feet.

"His own thoughts are eating him alive…" said Myoga.

"K-Kagome…" he said through tears. 

"Help me Kagome!" he screamed, crying. 

"Help me! I don't wanna die! Kagome, please help me!" 

Kagome tried to enter the barrier, but was blasted away. The force field would allow nothing in.

"SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!" he screamed in pure terror. "I'M SCARED! PLEASE! PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

"Inu-Yasha! Can't you do anything?!" begged Kagome.

Inu-Yasha scoffed. "I already tried." He said. "It's nothing to me if he dies. We'll get the shard either way. This is his own fault."

Kagome slowly walked up to him, and slapped him in the face. 

"What the hell was THAT?!" screamed Inu-Yasha.

"YOU JERK!" screamed Kagome. "You… YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YOURSELF!"

"How can you say that?!" yelled Inu-Yasha. "I came out here because you needed my help! And THIS is the thanks I get?"

"You only care about yourself!" she repeated. "You only helped me because you didn't want anything to happen to your precious "Shard Detector!" She yanked Inu-Yasha's sword from him. 

"What are you…"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Kagome. She carried the sword, and slowly walked over to Naota. A green aura surrounded her as she entered the barrier.

"The Tetsusaiga's protective aura is allowing her into the barrier!" said Myoga. "She will attempt to calm his mind…"

Kagome walked over to the hysterical, screaming Naota, and grabbed his head with her hands. She stared into his face. Naota was silent. 

She bent her head down, and kissed Naota on the forehead. "I'm sorry…" she said. Naota's eyes relaxed, his mouth formed a serene smile, and the barrier dissipated. 

Naota slumped to the floor.

He was dead. 

And for reasons Kagome never will understand, he was smiling all the while. 

Inu-Yasha took the shard from the dead boy and gave it to Kagome. He took his sword back as well. He was clearly unhappy about the whole kissing thing. 

"Let's go, Kagome." 

Kagome did not move from the dead Naota's body. 

"Are you going to go? Everybody's waiting on you, Kagome." He stated. 

Kagome threw the shards at Inu-Yasha. Tears were streaming down her face, her teeth were gritted. 

  
"There!" she screamed. "There are your damn shards! You… you JERK! You are the most selfish, inconsiderate, rude person I have ever had the displeasure of meeting!"

Inu-Yasha stepped back. He had never seen Kagome so angry. "I…I…"

"Do you even care at all?" she said. "How can you be so heartless? Do you care about anything other than those shards? Do you?"

"I…" said Inu-Yasha. He was near tears for the first time in years. "I didn't mean to…"

"Thank you, Inu-Yasha." Kagome said. "Now I don't have to wonder about the truth anymore. Thanks for clearing up my misconceptions."

"Kagome…"

  
"I'm going home." She said. "Don't follow me."

Inu-Yasha watched her walk home until she was out of sight. 

  
There, in the moonlight, a glistening tear dripped down his face.

****

The next day, the police found Naota's body. The funeral for him would be in a couple weeks. Kagome had locked herself in her room. Inu-Yasha stayed at her house, waiting for her. She had told him not to come, but he needed to make amends somehow. He didn't want Kagome to hate him.

Authors Notes: I am SO sorry for not writing lately, I've been really busy. I recently attended a con (anime weekend Atlanta) dressed as Inu-Yasha! There were a lot of other IY costumes, too! It was lotsa fun!

Anyway, I know many people will be disappointed by the whole IY/Kagome thingy. Y'know, how she's mad at him and stuff. They WILL make up, believe me. IY/Kagome is a favorite pairing of mine, so expect some lovey-dovey stuff in the next few chapters. I wanna see em' end up together just as badly as you do, maybe even more. Trust me, It'll be good. 

At any rate, this will be finished soon. Expect one or two more chapters and an epilogue. Thanks for Reading, and please drop a review.


	6. Chapter 5: To Err is Human... or Half-Hu...

CHAPTER 5:

CHAPTER 5: TO ERR IS HUMAN…OR HALF HUMAN. 

Kagome sat at the desk in her room, she stared hypnotically at the mirror in front of her, vacantly, her gazes passed even her own reflection, and everything else in it. She stared blankly, not at anything in particular, as if nothing else existed in the world but her. She wrung her hands and sighed. She was finished crying; her eyes would turn to dust if she continued to cry. 

__

"I…"

She thought to herself. "_I killed him…"_

She didn't know what else to do. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life with him, as he had wanted, but she didn't want him to die. She kept thinking there was something she could've done… something to make it better so it wouldn't have to end like this. But it was too late now. Naota was dead, and she believed herself to be at fault. 

She put her head down on the desk. She had done so intending to cry again, but she couldn't. The sorrow was there, but the tears weren't. 

****

Inu-Yasha was sitting on the floor of Kagome's house with his legs crossed, when Miroku and Shippou came in through the door. 

Inu-Yasha cocked an eyebrow, and sighed. "What are you guys doing here?" he seemed more subdued than usual, he normally would have flared up if Miroku and Shippou had followed him when he told them not to, but he had no energy emotionally to be angry. 

"What do you think? We're here wondering what was up… it's been a while since you left, and neither of you had returned." Said Miroku, then adding. "You're not mad? Are you okay?"

"No." Said Inu-Yasha. "And quite frankly, it's none of your business." 

"None of our business?!" said Shippou. "That's not fair! We…"

"Shippou…" said Miroku. "That's enough. Let him brood for now." 

"But-!" 

"Shippou… leave it." Said Miroku. Shippou grumbled and walked outside. 

Miroku waited until Shippou had exited the room, and then turned to face Inu-Yasha. 

"Don't want to talk? Fine. But answer me this: Where is Kagome?" 

Inu-Yasha flinched. "She's upstairs." 

"I see." Said Miroku, folding his arms. "And what exactly has she been doing up there for so long?"

Inu-Yasha's eyes narrowed. "How the hell should I know?!" he flared. 

"How?" said Miroku, with a tinge of anger, which was rare for someone as composed and calm as Miroku typically was. "Call me crazy, but I think she's up there, crying because of something YOU did, that's why you should know!"

"You're making a LOT of assumptions, monk!" retorted Inu-Yasha. 

"Fine!" said Miroku. "Tell me! Tell me I'm wrong! Tell me she's up there, fixing her hair, or studying or something! Tell me you're detached right now for some other reason that has nothing to do with her!"

  
Inu-Yasha got up from where he was sitting and stared at Miroku straight in the eyes. "Shut… up…" he growled through clenched teeth. 

"Do you feel sorry at all?" asked Miroku. "Do you feel any re-" 

A punch, cutting through the air like paper, hit Miroku in the jaw. He fell to the floor. 

"What do YOU know?!" flared Inu-Yasha. "Why do you care, anyway?! She's not mad at YOU, so mind your own damn business!" 

Miroku composed himself, he was about to return Inu-Yasha's attack, and his fist trembled with anticipation. But he sighed, closed his eyes, and simply said, "I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn." He turned around, to exit the room.

"If you must know what happened…" Inu-Yasha said, retaking his seat on the floor. "One of her friend's from school came in possession of a shard." 

Miroku sighed. "I see." He said. "And her friend…"

"…Is dead." Inu-Yasha finished Miroku's sentence. "And… I guess I said some things I shouldn't have. That's all I'm telling you." 

Miroku took a seat on the floor. "Fair enough." He said. "But is she coming back?" 

Inu-Yasha sighed. "I hope so." He said. "At this point, I'm waiting for her to forgive me…" 

"Well…"

Just then, there came a rapping on the door. In the next room, muffled voices could be heard. 

"Kagome!" called her Mother. "It's for you!"

"Tell them to come back later." Replied Kagome, from upstairs. 

"He says it's important." Said her Mother. Kagome reluctantly bumbled down the stairs, very fatigued. She could barely move her own legs. 

She looked outside, and there, standing at the door, was Naota's father. 

"You…" said Kagome. 

"Just a moment of your time." He said. "That's all I ask."

Kagome reluctantly stepped outside. 

  
"Uh… Kagome? Who is that man, exactly?" Asked her mother. 

"It's a friend's father." She said. 

"And what does he want?" replied her mother.

"I don't know." Kagome said, and walked outside. 

Inu-Yasha and Miroku peeked out a window and watched and listened.

****

"I'm sorry for being so sudden." Said Naota's father, as he wrung his hands in worry. "But I needed to tell you something."

Kagome nodded.

"I…" he began. "This is all my fault." He said, almost in tears. "I was never there for him. If I were there for him… he wouldn't have killed himself…"

__

Killed Himself? Thought Kagome. _That must be what the police are saying…_

Naota's father continued. "What have I done with my life?" He said, burying his hands in his face. "I hurt everyone I meet…"

Kagome wanted to say something reassuring, something to comfort him. But she couldn't deny that at least in some part, this was his fault. 

"I came here to thank you. For being Naota's friend for a while." He said. "And I want you to know that I saw him."

Kagome's head jerked up. "You saw him?!"

Naota's father nodded. "I think it was a dream… but I saw him. He told me… that he forgave me for what I had done to him… and that he hopes we can get along better when we meet again. Then he left, and told me he wanted to see his mother…" 

Kagome stared blankly in shock of what he just said.

"I'm here because he also told me to tell you…" said Naota's father "That he's sorry for what happened, and to thank you for being his friend."

Kagome's eyes widened. She wanted to burst out in tears, but once again, they would not come. 

"I have to go." Said Naota's father. "I have to pick up some broken pieces… and put them back together." 

And with that, he left. Kagome ran inside. 

"Kagome! I-" said Inu-Yasha as she passed him, but she continued up the stairs and slammed the door to her room. It was as if she didn't even notice him.

Inu-Yasha sighed. "What am I gonna do?" he said. 

"Just give her a little more time." Said Miroku. "She won't stay this way forever." 

The question was, when she was back to normal… would she still forgive him?

****

Inu-Yasha hadn't moved from his spot on the floor in a while. He had asked to be alone. Miroku was talking to Kagome's mother, and Shippou was playing with Kagome's brother, Souta. They were playing something Souta called "Video Games," but Shippou didn't really understand how they played. He seemed to be enjoying himself, though. 

Just then, the door creaked open, and a small figure stood in the doorway. It was Souta, Kagome's younger brother. 

  
"Um…" said Souta, humbly staring at Inu-Yasha.

"What?" replied Inu-Yasha, cocking an eyebrow. 

"Um… have you tried to talk to my sister, yet?" 

Inu-Yasha scoffed. "Feh. She doesn't want to see me." 

"You may think so, but…" Souta said meekly. 

"Hmm?" Inu-Yasha turned to face Souta, interested in what he would have to say.

"She… really needs someone right now." Said Souta. "I think you might be able to talk to her. Could you…um…."

"Could I what?" 

"Could you… try talking to her?" Souta said sheepishly. "I think she might listen to you…"

Inu-Yasha shook his head. "And why do you think that?" 

"Because… she likes you… she wouldn't be mad at you if she didn't like you, so… please…."

Inu-Yasha thought about that for a while, then sighed. He rose from his seat, and set out for Kagome's room. 

****

Inu-Yasha stood at the door to Kagome's room for a long time. He hadn't really prepared what he was going to say to her at all, and was trying to think of something. He softly knocked on her door, which was strange, because he hadn't been in houses very much, and when he was, he had never bothered to knock before entering in his life. 

"Who is it…?" came a soft voice from inside.

"It's… me…" he replied weakly.

  
"Would you just go away?! I gave you what you want…"

"Hey!" said Inu-Yasha. "I came here to apologize!" 

  
Kagome opened the door, and Inu-Yasha was taken aback by the sight of her. Her clothes were wrinkled, and her narrowed, angry eyes were bloodshot from crying. She stepped aside, and ushered Inu-Yasha into her room. She took a seat on the bed, and crossed her legs.

"You were saying something about an apology?" she asked. 

"Yeah…" he began, and then started pacing back and forth for a long time."

Kagome was growing impatient. "I'm waiting…" 

  
"I'm trying to think!" said Inu-Yasha. Kagome rolled her eyes and waited patiently.

"I'm sorry." Inu-Yasha finally said. 

  
Kagome was staring intently at him. "And?"

Inu-Yasha's jaw dropped to the floor in disbelief. "I'm sorry!" he repeated. 

"That's it?" 

"What else do you want?" said Inu-Yasha, frustrated.

"That's hardly what I call an apology!" Kagome said.

"That's not fair!" said Inu-Yasha. "I'm trying! This isn't easy for me, okay?!"

"Well, what do you want me to say?!" Kagome shouted. "After what you said, you should be lucky I let you in here at all!"

"L-Lucky?!" growled Inu-Yasha. "I'm here for YOU! Not me! You got that?!"

Kagome's eyes widened. Inu-Yasha sighed and took a seat next to her on her bed. 

"Look, I know I'm not very good at this…" he began. "But I REALLY am sorry. I…" he stuttered. "I heard you talking to that kid's father…" 

Kagome's jaw dropped. "You were eavesdropping?" she said.

  
"Yeah." Replied Inu-Yasha. "I didn't know it was like that…" he said. "I thought that kid was using a shard for his own ends, but I…" he stopped there. "I'm sorry." He said for the umpteenth time. "And… please don't blame yourself for this. You made him happy, after all. Nobody else seemed to be willing OR able to do that."

Kagome began to cry softly again. She rested her head on Inu-Yasha's shoulder. "That means so much… for you to say that…" 

  
Inu-Yasha put his hand on Kagome's back. "It's okay, Kagome. Stop this, okay? He wouldn't have wanted you to be sad like this." Kagome stood up and sighed. 

"You're right, I guess."

Inu-Yasha stood up. "Anyway, when do you want to go back? I won't force you to do anything."

"I guess tomorrow we could go back." She said. "I'm really tired now, though…Oh, you and Miroku and Shippou are welcome to stay here." She said. Then she added, "You wanna sleep in my room?"

Inu-Yasha flinched. "WHAT?! Absolutely not!" 

Kagome burst into laughter. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" 

Inu-Yasha scowled. "Feh." He said. "You have REALLY bad timing, you know that?" 

And with that, he went downstairs. It was getting dark and he was tired. He fell onto the floor downstairs and fell asleep, he felt like all the pieces were coming back together. 

Souta, however, was still awake, in front of the television, trying to explain to Shippou how to beat the level 5 boss. 

Authors Notes: I Guess that's about it. This was a REALLY hard chapter to write, and I put a lot of time and effort into it. I tried to make sure it didn't get TOO waffy, but I didn't want to make it cold and emotionless, either. Sorry for taking so long, but I've been really busy lately. Anyway, next chapter will be a short epilogue. Not much in terms of plot but just something to wrap things up. Thanks to everyone who's been reading this, the comments and support have been great, and let me know what you think. (I write these fics for YOUR enjoyment, after all.) 

Oh, and I realize Miroku may have been a little OOC, but I don't believe he should be composed all the time. I think he gets mad once in a while like everyone else. Anyway, thanks for your support. 


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